The son of a Dublin-based Dutch merchant, Hone moved to England as a young man and, after marrying Molly Earle - daughter of the Duke of Argyll - in 1742, eventually settled in London, by which time he had acquired a reputation as a portrait-painter.
While his paintings were popular, his reputation was particularly enhanced by his skill at producing miniatures and enamels. He interrupted his time in London by spending two years (1750-1752) studying in Italy. The Hone family is related to an array of notable people, including the Viscounts Valentia, Earls of Abercorn, before their elevation to the Dukedom, the Beckford family and the old Dutch landed family the van Vianens, who hold the hereditary title of Vrijheer.
Distant cousins of Nathaniel include Sir Charles Hardy and William Beckford.
His great-grand-nephew shared the same name and was also a notable Irish painter, known as Nathaniel Hone the Younger (1831–1917). He is also a relation to painter Evie Hone.
Hone was a painter, known for his portraits and miniatures.
